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Alex Campbell: HOW TO FADE HAIR

Alex Campbell: HOW TO FADE HAIR

How do you fade hair? Everyone has their opinion on fading hair. Some barbers say certain ways are better than others. And that is probably true to them because that is the only way that they have learned to fade hair. I (Alex Campbell) have learned how to fade hair a few different ways over the years.

Growing up, I started with balding out the sides and fading from the bottom up. In my opinion, fading up is the most used technique by many barbers. Up North, more barbers swear to the "fade from top down technique". I have used this "fade from the top down technique" before and I mastered it and then for some reason I went back to the balding the bottom and fading up technique. All of the techniques work. It all boils down to what works the best for you and your situation.

In my opinion, some fading techniques are faster than others. This could also be psychological. Some fading techniques seem to work faster than others. I haven't actually timed myself on each technique, but some techniques do seem to be faster than others. At the end of the day, all that matters to the customer is the finished product. Here are a few of the different ways I have seen barbers cut a fade haircut.

1. Line up the haircut first, put a line around the head, cut the top down, fade the hair,
then bald the bottom.
2. Bald the bottom, cut the top down, fade the hair, then line up the haircut.
3. Put a line around the head first, cut the top down, line up the haircut, fade the
haircut, then bald the bottom.
4. Cut the top down, fade the haircut to a 00000 without leaving a line at all.



Whichever way you choose to fade a haircut, as I said earlier, all that matters is what happens when you hand the customer the mirror. Fades seem to be the haircut that most barbers have problems with. The problem that I have seen most frequently with fading is that some barbers leave a faint line or lines in the fade. This is due to a couple of things. Mainly one of the problems is that their tools aren't adjusted properly and the other problem is they haven't developed a good "eye" for the fade haircut. You have to develop an eye for fading. Some barbers develop the eye quicker than others. You have to be able to see the smallest flaws in a fade in order to perfect the fade.


The fade haircut in my opinion is my strongest haircut. I have been cutting fades all of my life. In the State of Florida, the bald fade or high and tight is what everybody wears. Mainly because it is so hot in Florida. Once you perfect the fade or any type of fading, you will then be able to utilize those same techniques on other haircuts that may require some type of fading. Just like anything else, fading hair takes time and practice. Good luck!